A student from the University of Southern California was killed late last week after falling from a balcony on the sixth floor of a Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, hotel. This tragedy is not the first accident to take the life of a student on spring break, whether in U.S. or abroad.

Some accidents are purely accidental while others are caused by negligence. Spring break drunk driving accidents, for example, are common, especially when nearly 50 percent of all college students will drink until they are sick. Balcony falls, assaults, overdoses and alcohol poisoning also send countless young adults to the hospital with serious injuries every year.

If you or your child were injured in a spring break accident, one of the first questions we will investigate is: What caused the injuries? A driver’s bad decision to drink and drive can cut a young adult’s promising life short. Not all balcony falls are the result of over-drinking; some are the result of an improperly maintained premise. The same can be said of assaults — did the premises have proper lighting? Were security guards present at a large public party?

Spring break accidents can also injure younger children. Children might be hit by a car while running after a ball in the street or injured while riding a bike on a defective sidewalk.

Spring break should be a time of relaxation and fun, not a time spent recovering from serious injuries in the hospital or mourning the loss of a young family member. If you are a parent, take time to talk to your children about safety during Spring Break. If you are a student, have the courage to prevent your friends from driving drunk or over-drinking. It is up to all of us to keep each other safe.